Parshas Nitzavim 5775
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
QUESTION:
Why do we have to be tested in this world? Hashem knows beforehand what we're going to do.
ANSWER:
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants us to do certain things, it's not to find out what we're going to do, but the doing of the thing is our great opportunity to change ourselves, to mold ourselves; I'll explain.
The Ramban says this: There's a difference from having something in you b'koach, something potential, or it should be yotzo m'koach el hapoel, it should come out from the potential into actual practice.
Therefore, let's say you're a charitable fellow, you like to give tzedaka, but you don't have a poor man around; you'll get reward. Chisheiv la'asos mitzvah v'ne'enas vlo asu'uh, if a man wanted to do a mitzvah, he walked out with a pocket full of money looking for a meshulach, and he can't find one. Who'll accept money? Nobody wants any money. So ma'aleh aluv hakosuv keilu asu'uh, it's considered as if he did the mitzvah. But if you're still more worthy, Hashem sends along a poor Jew from Eretz Yisroel who has twelve children, and that Jew needs the money like nobody's business, that money means bread, and if he'll give let's say a hundred dollars to that Jew, the giving of that money takes his potential kindliness and chesed, his potential mitzvah and it makes it into an actual mitzvah and he becomes a new man; he's a different man. And that's a big zechus that he has.
That's why Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives us tests, for our benefit. That's what the midrash says, achar hadvorim ha'eileh ho'elokim niso es Avrohom, what does niso mean? Like it says, v'suh neis l'kabeitz goluseinu, raise up a banner, ness is a banner. The word nusuh, nun, sin, aleph, to carry, to lift up, and nun, samech, heh, to make a test, and nisayon are the same word. Elokim nisah es Avrohom, Elokim elevated him. How did He elevate him? By giving him an opportunity to do a thing in actual practice. Avrohom in his mind, he had the potential for the akeida, but when he was actually making the akeida, when he tied his son on the mizbeiach and he lifted a knife over his neck, then he gained something that was a great privilege, he was elevated.
Important Numbers
